PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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These chicken lettuce wraps is a PF Chang’s copycat recipe, except you can whip this up in just 20 min and it tastes so much better at home!
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Why you’ll love these pf chang’s chicken lettuce wraps
- Lightning fast recipe. This recipe comes together in just 20 minutes start to finish, making it so much quicker than waiting for delivery or takeout.
- Budget-friendly. Making this copycat favorite at home costs a fraction of dining out using pantry staples. For example, the dish costs around $16 for 2 servings, but making a batch at home costs around $10, easily yielding about 4 to 6 servings.
- Low-carb yet so filling. Lettuce wraps are a hearty, low-carb meal choice, cutting out grain-based carbs with lettuce leaves and filling them with lean proteins such as ground chicken or turkey.
- Flexible recipe. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, or adapted to be gluten-free or extra veggie-loaded for picky eaters!
- Freezes so well. The filling is incredibly freezer-friendly and reheats like a dream, making it a perfect candidate for meal prep for busy weeknights ahead.
Ingredients
Ground chicken
This is a great economical, quick cooking option. Ground turkey, pork, or extra-lean beef can also be used.
Garlic
I love subbing in garlic puree, one of my favorite weeknight hacks to cut down on prep time even more.
Onion
Yellow, sweet, or white onion will all work well here.
Hoisin
Hoisin sauce is a key ingredient, adding complementary sweet, savory, and tangy flavors to the filling.
Soy sauce
Tamari or coconut aminos can be used for a gluten-free option.
Rice wine vinegar
Rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar can be used interchangeably.
Ginger
Similar to the garlic, I love subbing in ginger puree in a pinch.
Sriracha
Sriracha adds a little bit of heat! Chili garlic paste is also an excellent swap.
Water chestnuts
This helps bulk up the filling while adding a nice little crunch.
Butter lettuce
Sturdy lettuce such as Bibb or butter lettuce are both excellent options.
How to make PF Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps
- Cook the chicken. Place a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add a splash of oil. Then add the ground chicken and crumble into small, even pieces until browned, about 3-5 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
- Combine. Stir in the garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and Sriracha until the onions are tender, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add crunch. Stir in the water chestnuts, green onions, salt, and pepper until the chestnuts are heated through and tender, about 1-2 minutes. Pro tip: the water chestnuts are key for that signature crunch.
- Assemble. Spoon several tablespoons of the warm chicken mixture in the center of each lettuce leaf and serve warm. Pro tip: if preparing for leftovers, store the lettuce leaves separately from the filling to prevent soggy lettuce.
what to serve with pf chang’s chicken lettuce wraps
Tools For This Recipe
PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Frequently Asked Questions
Bibb or butter lettuce are both excellent choices – they are both strong and sturdy that can hold up the filling without breaking apart. Romaine lettuce is also a great option for a crisper wrap.
The optional Sriracha adds a little bit of heat but it can be skipped altogether without compromising flavor.
Use gluten-free hoisin sauce and swap out the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Rice wine vinegar is generally gluten-free (such as Marukan Rice Vinegar).
Leftover filling can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, adding a splash of chicken broth when reheating (if needed). Always store the leftover lettuce separately in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to prevent sogginess and wilting.
Yes! Let the filling cool completely and portion into plastic freezer bags. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, gently reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
PF Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional
- 1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 head butter lettuce
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.
Equipment
Notes
- Choose your favorite protein. This recipe will work well with quick-cooking ground chicken or ground turkey. Finely diced chicken breasts or chicken thighs can also be used.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Dice into small, even pieces. Finely chop the onion and water chestnuts into very small, uniform pieces for even cooking and a consistent bite.
- Load up on veggies. Add nutrient-dense veggies such as shredded cabbage, bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots for extra fiber and vitamins.
- Make it mild. Need something a little more mild for the littles at home? Skip the Sriracha altogether.
- Sturdy leaves are best. Use Bibb or butter lettuce – both are ideal for wrapping as they have wide, pliable and sturdy leaves without falling apart when filled.
- Avoid overfilling. Add a few tablespoons of filling per lettuce leaf, making them easy to serve without overspill.
- Add a garnish. Finish the wraps by garnishing with sesame seeds or crispy rice noodles.
- Freeze leftovers. The filling is very freezer-friendly! Portion the leftover filling into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
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These are better than PF Chang’s! This recipe is wonderful! Have made them over and over! Yummmy
Absolutely amazing! My new favorite recipe! So quick & simple! And so delicious I had it for breakfast (yes breakfast!) AND lunch!
This is delicious! I made a double batch, and also added some grated carrot and snow peas cut on the bias. I also cooked up some Jasmine rice – it was delicious both in butter lettuce leaves and over the rice!
Very good! PF Changs is hubs favorite. He loved these. Hoisin has a very high sugar content though, so I cut it in half and subbed it for 2 tbsp oyster sauce and 1tsp sesame oil. Amazing and drops the carbs/sugar even lower without sacrificing the flavor one bit!
This is a great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely delicious! I’m trying to find freezer friendly meals. I feel like it’ll do okay to freeze and thaw. Thoughts? Thanks!
If freezing, I’d leave out the green onion and possibly the water chestnuts until reheating. Preserve the crunch and prevent the onions from being limp and soggy.
Damn delicious! That’s all I have to say!
I made it to the point, I had to do it again in same day. 1st batch disappeared in 15 min. Second batch was with 3 lbs of ground chicken and lasted a bit longer. Thank you!
Thank you for writing about this. I tried at home the first time that was too yummy. Keep writing that helps us in getting an idea about new recipes.
Excellent!! So easy and uses ingredients I usually have in my pantry on standby. A delicious use for the ground chicken I keep buying and hadn’t (until now) found a great use for. This recipe will be making a regular appearance in our dinner rotation.
Delicious!!
Very easy, I will definitely make it again. Next time I will try cooking it in a skillet instead of a saucepan.
Delicious! I baked chicken breasts and then diced them rather than using ground chicken. This will be added to the rotation!
I will admit I have not made the recipe but reading thru it the PF change version has a Ramen noodle addition or something “crunchy” in their wraps . What do you think about that?
Traditionally, toasted & ground sticky rice is added for crunch to all larb. Easy to make & store: Start with a 1/2 c of sticky rice (raw) in a heavy pan, no oil. Continuously stir & toss til the grains are a rich golden brown. Let it cool and crush with a mortar & pestle or in a spice/coffee grinder. Keeps in a jar in a cool/dry cabinet or fridge. Yummy! 🙂
I’ve made this multiple times but I always use ground pork instead because I prefer the flavour. I also increase the amount of ginger. Today, instead of wrapping inside lettuce leaves, I finely sliced 2 kinds of lettuce, some celery, some cucumber (drizzled a bit more rice wine vinegar on the lettuce, then topped with the meat mixture. We always garnish with the crushed peanuts — fantastic!
I didn’t happen to have a whole pound of ground chicken on hand the day I made this, so I cut it a bit with 25% ground white turkey. Still delicious. I do wish I’d had butter lettuce on hand; all I had was Bibb lettuce, the leaves of which were too large to roll.
The one thing left out of the original recipe is woodear mushrooms (black fungus). Other than that, spot on.
Your Recipes are excellent. Love to Read & learn from your website.
Looks very fresh. I will definitely try it once in my kitchen. Thanks.
Really good. I made it with chicken for my guys and with teriyaki tofu for myself. Was really good. I didn’t have any hoisin sauce (and was too lazy to make some) so I substituted William Sonoma’s spicy peanut sauce. I also sautéed the chicken and tofu with a little sesame oil in addition to olive oil.
I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the good recipe.